Casablanca

We have a mostly uneventful flight to Morocco. Flight one is on time and as planned but I slept maybe fifteen minutes the whole time due to a fidgety neighbor that would change positions every couple minutes and startle me out of any sleep I managed. Our second flight was delayed but we were getting to Casablanca so late in the day that it wasn’t going to be a productive sightseeing day anyway.

We have a driver arranged from our tour company so it’s and easy ide to our hotel except he doesn’t have bills to break our larger bills acquired at the airport ATM so he gets a very good tip. We’ve heard it’s often difficult for people to make change for the larger bills (equivalent of a little over $20 USD) so we make it a mission to use grocery stores and such to pawn off big bills as much as possible during our travels.

We checked into our hotel but soon take the elevator to take a quick look at the loud dance club happening on the hotel rooftop. Thinking we’d have a nice view of the city and a nightcap before bed we instead have the elevator open to cigarette smoke, a bouncer, and very loud thumping. We take one look at the crowd and decide sleep is a better option tonight.

Both of us sleep completely through that first night, in fact we could have kept sleeping if we didn’t have a tour scheduled in the morning. That almost never happens. Everything is great about the room except the semi-opaque bathroom walls. I mean there is some privacy but when you are sharing a room with a friend there are bathroom walls that can give you more privacy.

Breakfast at the hotel is satisfying and a great way to start the day. Turns out it is the best breakfast spread of our travels.

We arrive a day early before our scheduled tour in Casablanca because we are so used to having flights delayed or worse that we wanted to make sure we make our official tour that starts in two days. In the morning we book a day tour since our upcoming tour does not include any sightseeing in Casablanca. Casablanca like every city in Morocco started as a nomad city along the trade route that has been governed by many different peoples but became the unique city it is because of the French occupation in the 1900’s. They set out Casablanca to be its crown jewel with all its ornate art deco architecture. It was also a key port city due to its location near the oceans.

Our first stop is at the Hassan II Mosque, a large mosque dedicated to the Moroccan King Hassan II. It is the second largest Mosque in Africa and was completed in 1993. So much detail is given to the interior including the painted parts using natural colorings and cedar wood from the Atlas Mountains. It is built over water as a floating island over the Atlantic Ocean. You can only tour this with a guide and we were luckily because it is quite empty when we toured.

After the tour we drive to Corniche, the waterfront region that usually is happening with poolside fun and outdoor cafes. It is off season so there is not much going on besides families walking along the water. We also stop to get a foggy view of the mosque and watch some fishermen during low tide.

We stop briefly at the Sacred Heart Cathedral which now serves as a function hall and is no longer open to the public.

We stop at the Arab League Park but I realize later we only see a small part of the park. This large oasis in the middle of town was inaugurated in 1919 while the French were still in power.

The we go to the Square of Mohammed V, the place also known as pigeon fountain. The square is surrounded by the opera house, and many French inspired buildings. It is here that I see the art deco post office which I will briefly visit the next day.

We stop at the Church of Notre Dame of Lourdes. There is a service going on so we only look inside quickly and decide to come back tomorrow during our self tour.

We visit the old Medina but we don’t actually shop today but just look around the area. We visit the surrounding neighborhood. Many of the buildings here are run down.

We view the large port under construction. The current king, Mohammed VI, is making an effort to expand the port for tourism and cruise ships and yachts.

Last on our tour we visit a spice place where we learn about spices and some of their other oils and natural remedies. I end up buying a thing or two there. It is before I learn the art of bargaining so I am sure I am getting ripped off.

Our tour is over and our guide recommends a restaurant near our hotel. It isn’t the most amazing meal but at least we are trying some new things. My friend who is mostly vegetarian is finding the vegetarian versions of dishes not as full of flavor as she likes. My chicken dish is bland as well. I am discovering that Moroccan dishes don’t add much salt and leave it to the individual to salt to taste. I am so used to everything everywhere being too salty for me so its definitely a change.

After lunch we visit the old souq. We walk down to the old Medina. We enter in a section that looks like it caters more to locals. Turns out there are very few tourists at all in the market, perhaps because there are no cruise ships in town today. We meet lots of cats along the way.

We stop briefly in an old riad converted into a nice restaurant in the heart of the Medina. It’s where we want to eat later but we never find our way back here on this trip.

We walk down a passage way that is decorated with random items. We watch some kids kick a ball around. It appears to be a pop up art installation in the middle of a residential street.

After our visit to the old Medina we walk under the United Nations Square and do an Art Deco tour of our own. When the French occupied Morocco they wanted to have Casablanca to be its showpiece. There are many cool Art Deco buildings that unfortunately are not all well maintained.

Street snails. I regret not trying them.

We finish the evening with dinner and a visit to a couple of rooftop bars near our hotel where we have nice views of part of the city.

The next morning we only plan to be out for a little while to visit a couple places we missed the day before but we end up spending the entire day out before meeting our tour in the evening. More on that next.

Berlin slow days

I have many days scheduled in Berlin and it is timed perfectly because I am pretty burned out on traveling. Originally I thought I would do day trips from Berlin but instead I want to take this time leisurely. This will be the last time during my travels I’ll have time to relax. I fly home in a month and the final weeks are very rushed.

So I plan just a few things a day in Berlin for now. Today I take my time leaving the hotel especially because there is rain. I start with a nice Vietnamese lunch.

I head down to the art deco shopping complex called Hackesche Hofe and wander in and out of some stores. I buy a couple small bottles of local alcohol and some weird marshmallow candies that remind me of circus peanuts from my childhood.

Nearby at the alternative art alley Haus Schwarzenberg I wait for the very weird MonsterKabinett to open so I can buy tickets for their show. While I wait I head to a nearby bar where I get in trouble for taking pictures. Apparently there is a sign up front and they are very adamant about it. It’s a cool bar, just don’t take any pictures unless you want to get scolded like a little child. The drink is pretty strong so that’s a bonus.

Finally they start selling tickets for MonsterKabinett and a mime-looking guy (minus the makeup) gathers us up for our tour. He is animated and takes us down to a basement art gallery slash performance location and interacts with weird looking robots. This is all choreographed to loud and strange music. The finale is a monster robot rock concert in a mirrored room. It isn’t that expensive so if you like weird stuff I say go. There are no pictures inside, many break the rules of course – I didn’t because I didn’t want to be scolded again. You’ll probably not forget the experience for a while since it’s so bizarre. I have a photo below from their website.

I take some more pictures of the area and find a nice Italian restaurant where I devour some really good truffle pasta.

I waited to the last minute to try to get tickets to the Pergamon museum, one of the nightly recommended museums in Berlin. Unfortunately they are all sold out for the day I want to go. What is available is tickets to Das Pergamon Panarama, also highly recommended. The Pergamon museum is a museum of the city in Turkey that was excavated and moved to a a museum in Berlin (one of the few times they actually had permission to do so). It is a fascinating exhibit in that it is fairly well preserved. Most of the museum is undergoing a major renovation and some major exhibits are unable at this time. Seeing the Panorama version seems like a good alternative. There are some parts of the Pergamon in this museum like statues and some of the walls but the appeal is the immersive Panorama art created by Yadegar Asisi. The beautiful colors and sounds show live during a day in the city. You watch as the art goes from day to night to day again.

Original Pergamon museum and models on how it looks

Light is added to show movement and to show how color was present before it faded in time.

More images around town

Next I’m heading to a food market across town….

Jebel Shams plus goodbye Oman

I apologize in advance for the long post. I know its long but I just wanted to sum up the end of my trip to Oman in one more post. I am very glad I made the time to visit.

Nizwa

We start the morning with breakfast then a morning walk around the town of Nizwa. We learn the history of the town and we admire the architecture which is a mix of old abandoned buildings, some made of mud and such, and the nicely restored historic buildings.

We head to the souq and are given a tour of the different parts of the souq. We have free time to shop afterwards. I only buy a couple things but I do taste many different types of dates at the date souq. I eye the tahini making machine and a gentleman working the shop gives me a warm sample of the freshly made tahini. Being so very good I am tempted to buy a jar to take with me but I still have a couple weeks left for my travels so it is not a practical idea. I go into an air conditioned building with the upstairs “antique market”. I am disappointed because there are no antiques here, just junk I can get in the USA or other countries. I do enjoy a pistachio coffee from the shop upstairs though.

I ate camel

We stop at the home of a bee farmer where we are fed a nice home cooked meal. We actually get to try camel today. It is quite good, especially how it is seasoned with a beef like flavor. It’s funny how I will no longer ride animals like camels but I am still eating them. I keep saying one day I will break down and become a vegetarian – but today is not that day. We are also taught how to eat like an Omani – on the floor, with our right hand.

We are then served coffee, thyme tea with honey, more dates and fruit. I am very full after this meal. I try a date covered in tahini and sesame.

We head to town to visit his honey shop but only after having a nice nice nature walk.

Jebel Shams

We make our way to Jebel Shams where we are staying the night. This area is known for its Grand Canyon. Impressive on its own, it isn’t as big as the Grand Canyon in the USA, but still very nice to look at. We head from there to watch the sunset over some mountains. It is noticeably cooler here. In the evening a jacket is needed. I even stole the comforter to use off the other bed in my room to stay warm in the evening.

After dinner most of us call it an early night.

The next morning we meet for a hike along the side of the canyon. We only go a small portion of the 7 km trail but it is nice and we see great views.

We then take a very rocky road down into a valley that tests the limits of our 4×4 automobiles. Amazing views appear around every corner. We eventually get to the bottom and visit another small town. We take a short walk around. This area is called Wadi Bani Awf.

We have bought another picnic lunch and head outside a nearby snake gorge to eat. We have a few minutes to explore the path before we leave. We don’t have too much time so we don’t go very far ahead. I have of course seen things like this before but it doesn’t make these canyons less fascinating to me. I wish we had more time here.

We head back to muscat where many of us say goodbye. Some of us have one last dinner. I make my final goodbyes and go back to prepare for my 2:00 AM pickup for the airport. I am off to another country. My last before returning to the USA soon.

I couldn’t resist a Zatar croissant at the airport

Muscat, Oman

I’ve been in Muscat Oman for over a day now and I find it to be a kind and peaceful country. It is conservative but it is less conservative than I initially thought it was. When I told people I was traveling to Oman I got many people saying “Where?”. Oman (Sultanate of Oman) is not one of those countries you hear talked about on the news. It’s been very calm and peaceful here since the 1970’s and is becoming a more popular tourist destination as of recent. Still in the USA it is not at the top of travelers lists but I believe it should be.

From the map you will see it is in a very tricky location, surrounded by countries that are not safe to travel to (besides UAE). Luckily Oman has a good relationship with all nearby countries. Their main export is oil but they also export fish. Tourism also ranks high in their economy.

The British and Portuguese were involved in this region at one time but for many centuries it has been an monarchy, ruled by a Sultan (passed down through male family lines). It wasn’t always referred to as a sultanate but earlier ruled by an Imam, not to be confused with the person who leads Muslim prayer.

To be fair I did not know this country either but met someone on another tour who had only good things to say about the country so it was put on my travel list. After things got easier after covid I made a plan to book a tour here. Now that I am here I would feel perfectly safe traveling on my own but I like the structure of the tour to organize visits to many different places for me in a short time frame.

In the morning of the first day of the tour the hotel has arranged a ride to the souq. My first instinct is to chill in my room until I meet with my tour group this evening but I force myself to go. I do want to buy at least one scarf. I have the same problem at this souq with no one giving me a moment to think. I have a moment of clarity and grab a cheap scarf so my shopping for the day is done. I walk around the Muscat waterfront while I wait and get a shawarma for lunch. There are others in my group in the van ride to the souq so I get to meet them early.

We meet with the entire group at 5pm and have introductions. Our guide Said tells us what the expect the upcoming week. We all go to dinner at the nearby Turkish restaurant and eat way too much food.

Tomorrow we have a day tour of Muscat.

Langkawi, Malaysia

While planning my travels I intended to finally visit some islands in Thailand. When it came down to deciding which ones to visit the island of Langkawi kept appearing even though it is in Malaysia. It seemed like a relaxing laid back place to visit that isn’t too far from some of the other destinations I wanted to visit In Malaysia. I decide that I will save visiting the islands in Thailand for when I have a companion (because it is more popular with people in general) and stop in Langkawi instead.

One big thing I sort of missed in Singapore is the famous water fountain at Changi airport. The start and end times of the waterfall did not coincide with either one of my flights. I contemplated going out there separately to see it but I couldn’t get excited about the extra trip out there. I sneak over to Jewel (mall at Changi airport) after I check my bag to see where it happens and I witness small little drips of water coming down. Everything there is closed for at least another hour. Maybe someday I’ll have a long layover here.

Flight is fine. Malaysia air sprayed aerosol into the cabin at the end of the flight though. Is that safer than breathing the air? Fortunately I had my mask on.

I have arrived and only a couple hours in I already wish I would have booked more nights here (like every other place I visit). I am exhausted still from jet lag and Singapore sightseeing (why have I not recovered yet?). All I want to do is eat and nap.

The airport is small. I find an ATM. I did no research on how much spending money I will need in Malaysia. I figure I will take out a little bit of cash to hold me over. My trick when I do no conversion research is to usually choose the button that corresponds to the second to the smallest amount on the ATM screen. This ATM had no such screen and I had to generate the amount myself. I had no idea what to take out. I just take out 50 Malaysian Ringgits. I don’t need funds for the ride to the hotel since I am using the Grab app so I assume that is enough to start. Turns out it isn’t. The hotel needs cash payment for the taxes and a refundable deposit. I end up giving them all I have and a 20 USD to be returned. I need to do another trip to the ATM soon.

One of the big things about this island is it a great place to do some duty free shopping. I am not a big shopper but I can’t resist walking through the duty free shops when I arrive. I end up buying some candy and dried fruit to snack on. I end up being too lazy to go out for breakfast lately so it’s nice to have something to eat on hand.

I stop for pad Thai *way spicer than I’m used to* and a cocktail or two at a restaurant that overlooks the water. I watch all the water sports below. The parasailing looks particularly fun. I am almost tempted to do it. I also want to jump off this restaurant deck into the inviting water with my clothes on and all. Tomorrow I will have to carve out some beach time. Today I am still recovering. I go back to my room and nap. The music out by the water gets increasingly louder as the night gets darker and I get more and more tired. Another thing on my list for tomorrow – to enjoy the nightlife. My hotel room has a water view and it is lovely but I am thinking earplugs will be in order.

Before going to sleep I decide to figure out the ferry service for departing the island. I usually decide how I am going to leave a place before I arrive but I didn’t this time. I’ve been places with ferry services before and it is usually pretty easy to book last minute tickets so I didn’t think it was a big deal. But we are living post covid and things are not normal. Upon researching ferries to book I discover that none I could find are running anymore, at least as of now. I guess my only option is to fly off the island again. I pick Malaysia airlines since they seem to be cheap and decent. The terrible internet keeps timing out, and eventually erroring out. Somewhere in there though I actually successfully purchases a ticket because a ticket ends up in my email. I am surprised I didn’t accidentally book myself multiple seats on this flight. As of now only one ticket appears in my email. The joys of traveling abroad when not every detail is worked out in advance.

The following morning I once again wake up way too early…eventually I’ll be on the correct time zone. I empty out my backpack for use today and I find those pair of pants I thought I left back home. I don’t really need those pants until March but when I need them I’ll really need them. I must think of ways to make more space in my bag. I may have already made a couple of small purchases.

Some days I need breakfast and others I don’t. Today I really need breakfast, besides the kettle in my room is not working so I can’t make my coffee. Not that I think I need coffee anymore but I want it today. The only thing open this early is Mc Donalds down the street so I walk on down. I get a very sugary kopi (Malaysian for coffee) and a sausage biscuit that doesn’t really taste like what we get in the USA. It is good enough so I won’t get hangry while I am off sightseeing this morning.

Sky bridge

Today I am heading to the skybridge that overlooks Langkawi. There is a huge nature preserve here. Arriving early at the skybridge gives me a couple advantages. One of which was absolutely no lines which is nice. Also it’s not that hot yet. Furthermore they did not do a bag check on me so I was able to bring my water on the cable car. On my way out I see people disposing all their liquids from their bags. You are at the mercy of what you can purchase up top. Come to think of it I don’t really remember a place to purchase drinks. I would die of dehydration.

I am enjoying the cool breeze. I enjoy the nature and the sounds of nature. There is peacefulness viewing it all from above. It’s beautiful.

After my visit to the skybridge I wander around the village which is probably seen better days, but you can tell since tourism is ramping up that they’re making improvements.

After my skybridge visit I take a grab back to town (Pentai Cenang). I plan to eat lunch and do a little shopping. I can’t buy too much but I do have a couple things I wouldn’t mind adding to my wardrobe and I wouldn’t mind making room for them by getting rid of other things in my backpack. I eventually settle on a shirt I know I will wear at a music festival in March and a soccer jersey that is hard to resist at 9 USD.

For lunch I stop at the local Bella restaurant which seems to be a popular lunch spot. I try the chicken and rice here which is served in a different style than I had in Singapore. It is a satisfying lunch that is good for a stomach that has been a little unsettled this morning (The water is supposed to be safe for consumption here. I haven’t been drinking it but I haven’t been as careful with it as I could be when I am traveling. My digestive system might be reacting to the local bacteria. I’ll be back to normal in another day or so. This is not my first travel rodeo).

While shopping my feet start bothering me. To be honest everything has been bothering me since I’ve started traveling but this is my normal life now and I just deal with discomfort most of the time or treat parts with biofreeze or topical pain cream. I’ve been meaning to pop in for a massage. This is the perfect time since my only other plan is to go to the beach and I don’t really have to go to the water (growing up around beaches most of my life make hanging on the beach not a high priority activity). I missed this about traveling around south East Asia. Massages are so affordable here. I decide on a foot reflexology plus leg, neck and shoulders combo. The neck and shoulders combo is relaxing. The foot and leg massage is very painful and this is coming from someone who views massages that aren’t painful as a waste of time. I deal with the pain because my body needs a good massage. This is no relaxing massage. Imagine stubbing a toe. Then imagine stubbing all your toes. Then imagine this happening multiple times. This is how my foot massage feels. Hopefully at $24 USD this fixes me though.

I realize tonight that the late night music and dj is actual the fire show. It is long and goes late. Thank goodness for earplugs. I walk by and watch it for a little while. I then decide to get a drink and an appetizer and watch the sunset. A guitar guy plays covers and I watch a kitten wander around the front of the restaurant like she owns the place. Today has certainly been full of kittens. Must be kitten season here.

Later on I attempt to shop again and end up at the night food market. It is busy and everything looks interesting and/or good. Unfortunately I am too full from my appetizer and cocktail so I pass. There will be more street food later, this is just my start to Malaysia.

I do take back a pandan roll to my room to eat later since not finding the pandan dessert earlier in my travels was an itch I never did scratch. Now I am satisfied. And overly full. No travel planning is happening tonight. I can’t stay awake and the internet is terrible here….you think I would be used to the terrible internet episodes from my past travels but it always takes me by surprise. For instance I am going to have to call the airport in the morning to make sure I am actually on the flight I think I am on today. I have a confirmation email and can see the reservation when I look online but I am unable to check into the flight and I never actually got a confirmation screen when I booked it (But I am also charged twice for it). The joys of traveling. I am arriving three hours early for a domestic flight to figure all this out.